The present invention relates to bicycles.
In particular, the present invention relates to the manner in which bicycle pedals are supported.
The present invention relates in particular to the pedals of bicycles used for racing and relates in particular to arrangements to facilitate the engagement of the foot of the cyclist with the pedal.
In connection with bicycles intended to be used in sporting competitions such as racing, all parts of the bicycle are designed so as to enhance as much as possible the efficiency with which the energy of the cyclist is utilized, while also attempting to prevent as much as possible any loss of time. For example the wheels of a bicycle are made as light as possible without reducing the strength thereof, and on the other hand the bicycle wheels are provided with structures which enable the wheels to be quickly replaced in the case of puncture of a tire, for example.
The above two primary conditions of achieving maximum efficiency and minimum loss of time at the present time are not satisfied by two essential parts of a bicycle, namely the pedals thereof. Thus, since the pedals have an extremely important fundamental function in coupling the muscular system of the cyclist to the bicycle in such a way as to provide propelling of the bicycle, the arrangement of the pedals and the constructions thereof are designed so as to enhance as much as possible the efficiency of the transmission of the energy of the cyclist to the bicycle so as to propel the latter.
With this latter objective in mind, each pedal is mounted on a shaft carried by a rotary crank of the bicycle in such a way as to be freely rotatable with respect to this shaft, suitable ball bearings being utilized for this purpose, the pedal and shaft rotating one with respect to the other through a complete revolution during each revolution of the rotary crank. At the same time, during this latter operation the pedal is maintained at all times in a generally horizontal attitude by the foot of the cyclist. Thus, while the pedal is capable of transmitting to the shaft projecting from the rotary crank the force which will rotate the latter crank at the same time the pedal is perfectly free at all times to rotate with respect to the shaft on which it is mounted.
Moreover, in order to perfect the connection between the pedal and the foot of the cyclist, each pedal is provided with a toe clip generally in the form of a flexible strip extending forwardly from and forming an extension of the upper supporting surface of the pedal, this strip after extending forwardly beyond the upper pedal surface being curved upwardly and rearwardly so as to receive the toe region of the shoe of the cyclist. A free end of this flexible strip is situated over a rear portion of the pedal and is connected with a strap which extends transversely around the shoe of the cyclist while being connected to the pedal at a rear portion thereof.
The result of the above conventional construction is that the entire assembly of the pedal and toe clip has a certain unbalance which when the pedal is not engaged by the cyclist orients the pedal with the normally upper surface thereof turned downwardly while the toe clip is situated to the rear of and below the shaft which carries the pedal, the toe clip and pedal being inclined at an angle of approximately 30.degree.-40.degree. with respect to a horizontal plane when the operator does not have his shoe on the bicycle pedal.
It is apparent, therefore, that a considerable inconvenience is encountered by the cyclist when he attempts to place his shoe on a conventional pedal of the above type which when it is not utilized has practically a position which is inverted with respect to its normal position of operation. Thus the cyclist must first return the pedal to its proper attitude of use by way of delicate movements of the toe region of the shoe before the cyclist can properly engage his shoe with the pedal. Experience has shown that a cyclist who has his foot on the ground or floor or who has disengaged his foot from the pedal to avoid falling frequently loses a substantial amount of important time simply in reorienting the pedal so that it can properly receive his shoe. Moreover, during this interval when the cyclist must preliminarily orient the pedal properly to return it to its operating attitude, not only is the cyclist prevented from exerting any useful effort in propelling the bicycle but in addition his attention is dangerously distracted from the path travelled by the bicycle and from the behavior of the bicycle while the capability of maneuvering the bicycle is greatly limited because of its necessarily small speed of travel during such a time, so that a condition of considerable instability necessarily obtains. Thus, there is in sum as a result of the above conditions a considerable handicap to a cyclist and a substantial risk of falling.